Posts tagged ‘Five Elements’

The Winter season in the Chinese Five Elements is associated with the water element due to the abundance of water that falls in winter time that turns to snow and ice.
The organ systems grouped in this season are the kidneys and bladder, which make up the urinary system wetlands.

The gland in this category are the adrenals, which sit on top of the kidneys on each side of the body. The adrenal glands secrete the hormone adrenaline, which is a necessary energy boost for the flight or fight body response when a threat is encountered.
The hypothalamus in the brain receives a danger warning, or an event triggers stress and the effects on the body are instantaneous.

This reaction sends a chemical messenger, which causes the hormone adrenaline, secreted by the adrenal medulla to release.
The eye pupils dilate, colour drains from the face as dry mouth and sweating begin.
The blood supply is cut off to organs like the stomach, which shuts down digestion functioning, and surface blood vessels constrict limiting blood supply. Muscle activity increases with heart and pulse rates so that it prepares the body to physically deal with danger or run away.

Sometimes the reaction is not to stay and fight or flee, but the body response becomes trapped in a frozen state of fear, which induces a paralysis that is incapacitating. Adrenaline is also produced in times of psychological stress, and if the production continues over long periods it has adverse effects on the body. If the body remains in a stressed state of being overexcited and remaining under pressure it causes stress related conditions like high blood pressure.

The destructive emotion in the winter cycle is fear, which is a hard wired survival mechanism, but draining if it is engaged constantly. There are short term threats that engage our flight-fight-or freeze mechanisms, but long term stress, chronic fears and phobias puts strain on the body. The real and imagined dangers must be divided and applied to what constitutes a true threat. Fear is important to establish boundaries in order to learn what is good and bad, but rationality must meet clear perception and awareness.

The human time frame of winter is gestation and giving birth to babies, ideas and projects. In the destructive winter water element stuck adults who act like babies are less cute than their tiny counterparts. They present a paranoid, fearful attitude and don’t know how to relax. They are unable to see how they affect others, because it is all about them and their needs. People in this rhythm need to feel nurtured and taken care of, even though they may be afraid of commitment and the future. Demanding special attention leads to a narcissistic expectancy, arrogance and a feeling of entitlement. They may play the victim to get their way and will do almost anything to attract the special attention they crave, even if it’s negative attention.

It takes the constructive emotion of courage to overcome fear and paranoia. If wise discerning caution turns to excessive irrational fear, love and courage will counter it. Love is always the answer. Love will help to muster the courage to defeat fears that keep you stuck and stagnating. Use wise discerning caution instead of fear to establish boundaries and stay away from people that drain your resources. Gather your own resources and do your own groundwork. Rejuvenate and embrace down-time, and learn how to relax in the moment. This season is about beginnings so spread the seeds of your ideas and nurture dreams. Overcoming fears means recognizing and analyzing the reasons for your fears. Embrace whatever it is that scares you instead of denying, running away or avoiding, which will only amplify the fear. Fears need the light of day shone brightly at it in order to be examined, faced and dissolved.
Behaviour modification will help phobias to fears such as heights, spiders and snakes, showing anyone can overcome anything if they are willing to put in the work and have the courage to make a change to be free from fear

Essential oils that help the adrenals and the kidney bladder urinary system and may be used to help overcome fears:
Juniper, Carrot Seed, Grapefruit, Goldenrod, Yarrow, Spruce, Pine

“Fear can stop you loving, love can stop your fear,
fear can stop you loving, but it’s not always that clear.” ~
Morcheeba – “Fear and Love” Lyrics:

The Chinese Five Elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine relates to the rhythms of nature and reflects natural cycles. Seasons, elements, colours, sounds, organs, glands and emotions fall into five categories. It is the basis of all natural health practices and many medical, philosophical and artistic themes fit in to it.

The autumn season in the five elements is related to the metal element, because of its enduring qualities.

The constructive emotion for the rhythm of autumn is being reflective and pondering the past, which is necessary for learning lessons and figuring things out.
The destructive emotion of autumn is overbearing grief and sadness.
The sound that relieves the stress of grief and sadness is crying.
Being reflective for too long in the past will lead to grief and sadness.
The trees in autumn change brilliant colours before shedding their leaves, like a parade of tears that fall celebrating what once was.

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not a mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”~Washington Irving

Crying flushes unhealthy bacteria out of the body and strengthens the immune system while relieving stress. It is healthier to embrace the motion of emotions. To be moved profoundly and to feel the depths of our own well is to be quenched.

It is a natural process to mourn for lost loved ones, it is a measurement of love. It reminds us what really matters, and what is important to us. There is no right way or wrong way to grieve, but being reflective too long on the past and pining away upsets a balanced life. It is stress relieving to grieve, but when it interferes with life it becomes destructive. Grief may never go away and that is understandable, but it must not become an unhealthy attachment to death. The cycle must not get stuck and be crippling. Learn to flow with the tides.

To manage grief one must look at the bigger picture beyond the cycle of rebirth and death, and an acceptance mixed with a deeper understanding must be reached. Find gratitude and a sense of meaning by embracing the whole picture. One must rise and fall with the cycle of seasons, especially upon completion.
Bringing yourself back into the present moment helps to overcome grief, but only after it has been sifted through and cherished. Being sad upon reflection provides an honest look at ourselves and others. A kind understanding is helpful to gain insights in order to grow.

Be reflective without falling in to a perpetual grief pattern by learning to accept change. Let go of the past that does not serve you any purpose anymore. Live in the present moment and savour all the aspects of life. Learn to adapt to change and harness the hard lessons of letting go. Use wisdom to filter the good and bad, learn from it, make peace and move on. Dealing with death and the little deaths that happen ironically reminds us to appreciate life.

The organs systems that are impacted are the lungs and large intestine, which is part of the respiratory and digestive system.
Remember to breathe deep and eat healthy during tough times.

Essential oils to help alleviate grief:
Good partner combinations
basil and bergamot, frankincense and neroli, marjoram and lavender, eucalyptus and mandarin

In the Chinese Five Elements summer represents the most abundant time in nature and therefore houses the most organ meridian systems. In nature the cycle of summer rules the fire element because it is the hottest time in the cycle of seasons.

Summer is a hot, passionate time so the heart and the pericardium which is the sac that encases and protects the heart fall into this category.
Other organ meridian systems in this summer fire category are sex organs, the circulatory system which involves circulation, and the triple heater or burner as it is called is the immune, endocrine and nervous systems. The triple burner is an energy system in itself and it involves the upper, lower, and middle sections of the body making summer an important rhythm to understand. If the triple burner, meaning the immune, endocrine or nervous system is compromised it will have a negative impact on other organ system rhythm cycles and therefore affects the health of the whole body. The gland that is in this category is the pituitary gland, which is the master control panel for hormones.

Sometimes human characteristics will match the season element and are displayed in the way people walk and talk. People in the rhythm of summer have the mannerisms of being flamboyant, outgoing, and display an abundance of energy, spirit and passion. They are quick in pace, fast talkers with rapid fire movements and thoughts that make them dynamic and very attractive.

The human time frame is youth, but age is not really a consideration it is just the best example of when innocence and care-free times reign in excess. This rhythm involves all matters of the heart. The constructive side is loving and balanced without cheating, possessiveness or jealousy. The destructive side is that people mistake infatuation for love, and the constant need for good times may easily lead to addictions. All addictions and addictive behaviour fall into this category. Allergies are grouped in this category because all allergies involve immune imbalance.

The constructive emotion passion and joyful exuberance turns quickly to the destructive emotion panic and hysteria when there are no discerning boundaries or organization. People in this rhythm need to set priorities and healthy boundaries and make it a point to organize because over commitment may lead them to burnout or carve out negative destructive habits.

The imbalances in the summer season fire element affect the organ systems that are grouped in this category ; the heart, small intestine, sex organs, and nervous, immune and endocrine systems. The pathology of conditions that involve these organs include heart conditions, anxiety, insomnia, IBS, small intestine digestive problems, endocrine imbalances, autoimmune disorders and sexual issues. Heart attacks or heart problems show themselves more in the summertime.
Some symptoms that fall into this category are profuse sweating, a red-faced complexion, and aversion to heat or a feeling of being too hot.

In this summer rhythm it is good to nourish the heart and the other organs mentioned in this rhythm with a proper diet with whole natural foods and herbs.

Laughter is the constructive sound of this rhythm. It has been well documented that laughter eases stress. Laughter increases the activity of antibodies by 20% which help attack tumours and viruses. It is not about covering up issues with laughter but using laughter to ease stress on the body while getting a clearer perspective on problem solving.

“As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.” Lao Tzu

The Chinese Five Elements is a very easy tool to use and is the basis for all energy work, martial arts, acupuncture, shiatsu, feng shui, natural therapies and has been used in all kinds of categories from cooking to astrology to military. The natural therapies of reflexology, energy exercises, Aromatherapy using designated essential oils will help manage stress while self-cultivating, changing habit field patterns and getting to the root of key issues.
Understanding your feelings and how it relates to your body in these rhythms helps to identify areas that need focus to balance health.

What season are you in?

Excerpts from: Essential Oils and the Five Elements: Easing Emotional Overload with Aromatherapy and Reflexology

The grouping usually consists of five elements, and mirrors the natural rhythms and cycles of nature and relates them with the temperaments of human beings. The philosophy of the five elements is that everyone travels through these 5 rhythms/elements, just like nature journeys through the changing seasons.

The 5 Classical Elements serve their purpose by being used as a tool to decipher emotional, physical, spiritual, mental, philosophical, and medical states of being. The philosophy has also been incorporated into cooking, FengShui, interior design and all aspects of life and creation.

They are all connected in a cyclical interaction of generation and destruction, which balances life.

In ancient Greece the classical elements are Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Ether/Spirit.

This combination of elements form special relationships that are also reflected in Hindu and Buddhism philosophy, with the only exception being the name for Ether is Akasha and so on.

Possessing the same meanings, but labelled with different names, show the same Tibetan and Japanese Classical Elements. The only exception being the name for Ether is Sky/Void /Space/ Heaven, which gives further insight into the meaning of the illusive element Ether.

The Chinese 5 Classical Elements created by Traditional Chinese Medical practitioner’s around 3000 B.C. show a more physical nature consisting of:

Water, Earth, Fire, and replacing Air and Ether are the more tangible material elements Wood and Metal.

This model serves as a diagnostic tool basis for acupuncture, and other medical and energetic foundations.

The Chinese Elements are also known as the five movements, the five phases or the five laws of change.

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